If I were CEO of Kinder Morgan, a new pipeline would have been billed as a replacement for the 60-70 year old steel pipe.
They don't want to replace it because it would be very expensive,especially through downtown Burnaby,and they can't shut the old line down without the new line complete.
After the replacement gets built, you excavate and start twinning the pipeline.
The new steel pipe has more ductility, shear strength and is more corrosion resistant.
What hasn't been done is that Big Oil producers are not spending the extra money to upgrade the crude so as it is now pumpable.
So no bitumen with the deadly acidic chemicals used to make a slurry with.
This will eliminate the deadly mixture going over land and out to sea. Now you have two replacement lines pumping upgraded crude that has a recovery plan for any spill.
The new pipeline detours downtown Burnaby so that part of the pipeline would just be left for now, but holding Kinder Morgan responsible for the future cost of any pipe removal through the middle of Burnaby.
If Eagle Spirit Energy can get Big Oil to refine the crude for them, then the TransMountain pipeline can be bitumen free as well.
Most importantly the pipeline would be built with unionized tradeworkers,not CLAC companies where workers have no rights and representation.
Miles Thomas
Prince George
